Exodus 19:14 (DBY)

Passage

And Moses came down from the mountain to the people, and hallowed the people; and they washed their clothes.

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:12 And set bounds round about the people, saying, Take heed to yourselves, [not] to go up unto the mountain nor touch the border of it: whatever toucheth the mountain shall certainly be put to death:

Exodus 19:13 not a hand shall touch it, but it shall certainly be stoned, or shot through; whether it be a beast or a man, it shall not live. When the long drawn note of the trumpet soundeth, they shall come up to the mountain.

Exodus 19:14 And Moses came down from the mountain to the people, and hallowed the people; and they washed their clothes.

Exodus 19:15 And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; do not come near [your] wives.

Exodus 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings and a heavy cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud; and the whole people that was in the camp trembled.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "moses", "came", "down", "mountain", "people", "hallowed", and "washed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "moses" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "not a hand shall touch it but..." into verse 15's "And he said to the people Be...", so "moses" and "came" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "moses" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.